By Chris Smith
Jake and Susan used to live in Georgia, on West Point Lake. They always wanted a boat. After a year or two, they talked themselves into buying a used one. It was an 18-foot runabout, nothing fancy, but it served its purpose. They and the kids loved to go out, explore the lake, pull floats, take it to a south-end marina and dock it to eat in the little cafĂŠ there. One of the favorite things the family enjoyed was to beach their boat, have a picnic and âexploreâ the little islands.
During and after storms, water levels would increase along with all the debris in the lake. It was amazing what you could find on the shores of the lake after storms. One day after a walk along the shoreline where they lived, Jake started carrying garbage bags with him. When it was safe to get back on the water, he started carrying a roll of garbage bags on the boat. As the family would visit the islands, he and the kids would have a scavenger hunt. The kids thought it was a game, but the big picture was they were cleaning up what they could.
Over time, the kids caught on and enjoyed doing their part for conservation. They would ask, âAre we going on the boat to help the lake?â Susan, when with her friends, would talk about how the kids enjoyed it. At first, some the friends would turn their noses up at the idea, but Susan would say, âIf we donât do our part, who will?â
It wasnât too long before there was a caravan of boats with families and friends going island to island and cleaning the coves. Naturally, there was still fun to be had and usually a cookout at the end of the day.
That old boat lasted many seasons until finally the upper gears in the outboard went out. The seed had been planted in the minds of young ones about taking care of the natural resources. The family continued to be good stewards of the lake. Over the 15 years they lived there, countless pounds of debris and garbage were picked up.
It is everyoneâs responsibility to take care of what we have been blessed with. Iâm not saying be a tree-hugger, stop using deodorant and go au-naturale, but be thoughtful about what you do and the impact it will have down river.
Chris is a Combat Veteran recently retired. A few places he has deployed are Afghanistan, Jordon, Panama, Haiti and various non-combat areas. He is an avid outdoorsman that enjoys hunting, camping, fishing. He lives with his bride of 29 years in Alabama who he calls âHousehold 6â. If any Veteran or family member of a veteran who sees changes in their loved one or for that matter anyone that is contemplating suicide, he urges you to contact him at combatvettalk@gmail.com